LGBT Adults Face Health Disparities, Hit Hard by Pandemic Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Older LGBT Adults Face Chronic Illness Other Health Challenges

New report highlights health disparities and pandemic impact

Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty Images LGBT adults are more likely than their non-LGBT peers to report certain health-related challenges and negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a . The report, which was based on findings from a nationally representative survey of adults ages 18 to 64, helps illuminate some of the long-standing experienced by people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or “something else” other than straight. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. "There is a lack of data in terms of health data for LGBT people,” says report author Lindsey Dawson, associate director of HIV policy at KFF, who notes that this poses a challenge for policymakers and researchers seeking to address the community's health needs. “[In] doing our report, we've certainly sought to add to the knowledge base.”

Health conditions and provider experiences

Among the disparities highlighted in the findings is health status: LGBT respondents were more likely to report being in fair or poor health than their non-LGBT counterparts, and a higher share of LGBT people reported having an ongoing health condition that requires regular monitoring, medical care or medication. Among LGBT adults 45 to 64, for example, more than three-quarters (77 percent) said they have a chronic health condition, compared to 54 percent of non-LGBT people in that age group. The researchers also looked at LGBT respondents’ experiences with preventive health care. Thirty-five percent of LGBT women ages 40 to 64 reported in the past two years, compared to 64 percent of non-LGBT women of that age. (Screening guidelines vary, but mammograms are generally recommended every one or two years beginning at age 40.) AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > This finding echoes research from the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted this year, which showed that three-quarters (74 percent) of LGBT people had a negative impact on their mental health, compared to 49 percent of non-LGBT respondents. "One thing to recognize is that many LGBT people experience underlying rates of significant mental health and substance use disparities,” Dawson says. “But we also found … that LGBT people experienced the pandemic differently in some ways … [and] other research has pointed to the fact that LGBT people are more likely to work in hard-hit industries.” According to the new report, LGBT adults were more likely than other adults to report having to quit a job for a coronavirus-related reason or to take time off of work because of personal illness with , for caregiving for someone who was infected or to quarantine. Among the 30 percent of LGBT people who reported having trouble paying medical bills in the last year, more than half (58 percent) said that the COVID-19 pandemic was at least in part to blame. Sarah Elizabeth Adler joined aarp.org as a writer in 2018. Her pieces on science, art and culture have appeared in The Atlantic, where she was previously an editorial fellow, California magazine and elsewhere. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS